ID@Xbox devs would like early access too, please

Xbox developers are requesting the ability to participate in a Steam-style early access initiative, according to Chris Charla, director of the ID@Xbox program. In a recent interview with Develop, Charla said the issue was one he and his team think about "all the time."

"It's something developers have been asking for, and we are listening really closely to developers," Charla said. Charla also noted that the conversation extends beyond Xbox. "There's a lot of heavy deep thinkers, experts, PhDs working on these problems at Xbox every day – not just for the Xbox store, but for Windows Store and Windows Phone. Our goal is to have a rational marketplace, where good games are visible and sell well."

Early access is something of a new frontier for digital marketplaces, and Microsoft and Xbox aren't the only wagons on the trail; Sony's Adam Boyes recently said that he and his team are "figuring out what's OK" to implement on the PS4.